Yahoo Puts LSU No. 1 After 51-10 Clemson Rout as Notre Dame Opens at No. 2

Q: After a sluggish start, what halftime adjustments sparked Notre Dame's explosive 28-3 run to crush Wisconsin at Lambeau Field?

Notre Dame’s turnaround came from a simpler, more physical second-half plan: stop pressing, run the ball with more conviction, and let CJ Carr operate more efficiently off that balance. At halftime, Marcus Freeman said the Irish were “pressing” and needed to settle down. The staff challenged Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr. to attack the holes more decisively, and Notre Dame leaned harder on the ground game after managing only 29 rushing yards in the first half. That shift immediately showed on the opening drive of the third quarter, a 70-yard march finished by Williams’ 3-yard touchdown run. Williams then produced 72 of his 90 rushing yards after the break and scored twice. The offensive adjustment also helped Carr. Freeman praised him for checking into better plays and avoiding bad down-and-distance situations. After a shaky first half, Carr went 10 of 13 for 133 yards in the second half, guiding touchdown drives of 70, 75 and 88 yards and hitting Nolan James Jr. for a 28-yard score late. Defensively, Notre Dame did not need a major schematic overhaul as much as sharper execution. The Irish continued to dominate the line, bottled up Wisconsin’s run game, forced punts and then broke the game open with DJ McKinney’s 55-yard pick-six. A Wisconsin muffed kickoff also helped swing momentum earlier, but the decisive halftime change was Notre Dame recommitting to the run, calming the offense and letting its defense turn pressure into points.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 7

LSU claimed Yahoo’s debut 2026 Top 10 after a 51-10 blowout of Clemson, narrowly edging Notre Dame for the top spot based on Week 1 results alone.
300-plus rushing yards powered the Tigers’ case, with Wisconsin transfer Dilin Jones averaging 5 yards a carry and scoring twice in Lane Kiffin’s statement debut.
Notre Dame opened at No. 2 after beating Wisconsin 41-13, turning a 13-10 halftime edge into a rout behind a pick-6, a 28-yard touchdown pass and two Aneyas Williams rushing scores.
Miami landed at No. 3 after a 45-6 win at Stanford, while Ole Miss, Oregon, Virginia, Colorado, Auburn, Boise State and UCLA rounded out the top 10.
The ranking excludes preseason expectations and prior-year results, rewarding tougher Week 1 opponents over teams such as Georgia and Ohio State that opened against lighter competition.